Forgotten Memories- Sequal to Love's Lost Refrain
by STOPREADINGMYTERRIBLEFANFICS
Summary: Teenage Daleck lives in futuristic Alexandria, and has strange visions via Dagger's pendant: "'Steiner... Hold me.' They embraced as they both stared at their impending doom. The ground began to rumble as buildings and houses collapsed. The Knights now ho
1.

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES **__**

Note: This is a sequal to "Love's Lost Refrain." In order to understand what happens in this story, you should read it first. This story takes place 3 centuries after the events in Final Fantasy IX, and while no characters from the game will actually be in this story, they and the events in the game will have a bearing on this story.

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

Chapter 1

"See ya!"

"Bye! Good luck on finals!"

The 18 year old boy began walking home from school. He had pitch black hair that bounced the rays of sunlight off of it as he took each step. His school uniform was navy blue, and consisted of a long sleeve jacket and pants.

"Damn heat." He proceeded to take his jacket off when he heard a girl call out his name.

"Daleck!" Her footsteps became faster and faster. He turned around to see who it was.

"Maranda!" It was her lab partner in biology class. They had become good friends over the years. She had bright blond hair that swayed in the wind as she ran. She too was wearing a navy blue school uniform, but she sported the frilled skirt, as many high school teenagers did at the time. "What are you doing walking home from school?"

"It's a nice day today in Alexandria. Besides, you looked like you could use some company."

"Well it's a long walk from here." He said to her.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" She put a sarcastic frown on her face. "Are boys now better than girls at _walking_!?" 

"That's not what I meant!" he said with a grin. She pushed him into the fencing along the sidewalk.

"So, you excited about our biology exam?"

"I can barely contain myself." Daleck said, very sarcastically. "Why do we have to go to the museum? All the other classes are taking a written exam. I hate research."

"Hey, look at it as a privilege. All the other classes will be stuck in the muggy school while we'll be in a nice air conditioned museum..."

"Studying biology!" Daleck butted in.

"Hey, it will only be fun if you let it, and by the way you're acting you're going to be very bored tomorrow!" Miranda said. "Embrace what time you have left! We're seniors! For a lot of us, it will be the last time we'll get to see each other."

"And that makes it all the better." Daleck said.

"Don't be such an ass," she said as she pushed him again, this time knocking him over. She started to run away from him, and turned her head back and waved. "See you at the museum tomorrow!"

"Yeah whatever..." He continued to walk down the street. "Jeez, today's a scorcher," he said, as he loosened his shirt around the neck. He went over to the Alexandria river, and sat down on the edge. "Nothing exciting ever happens in my life," he said to himself, very depressingly. "We go through training in school to become good fighters, but what good does it bring when there's nothing to fight for?" He watched the sun slowly descend upon the horizon of the river. Behind him, he could hear a lady talking.

"And here is the grave of Queen Branhe, who died many years before the Alexandria castle was destroyed over three centuries ago." Daleck turned his head around to see a crowd of people following a tour guide. They all began to take pictures of the grave site, although there was no grave stone visible. "And this is the actual site of the Alexandria castle. Because it was destroyed so many years ago, none of it's remains can be found here. It is believed that they all washed away in the river. To this date it is not known exactly how it was destroyed. But it was believed that Queen Beatrix and King Steiner, who ruled Alexandria at the time, perished in the destruction." More clicks from the cameras. The crowd moved past Daleck and disappeared in the distance.

"Lousy tourists." Daleck sat still as the soft breeze from the river flowed through his hair. His dark brown eyes winced as the wind gently touched them. A car pulled up beside him.

"Hey Daleck! Whatcha doin'?" He turned to see his friend, Jehuty. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride!"

He thought about it, than replied "No thanks, I'm fine." He turned back to the setting sun.

"C'mon, get in! I'm not leaving you here, and I can't wait forever!"

He continued to stare out towards the sun, then he thought to himself _'Oh what the heck. I'm depressed, and I'll be more depressed if I walk home.'_ He slowly stood up and walked towards the car.

"That's it, get in here." Daleck opened the passenger door and stepped into the car. They took off. "Did you get your masters in sword fighting?"

"I got that a while ago."

"Well I got mine today. I'm a pro now! Just like you! But I can't believe that we have to keep the weaponry in school! How are we gonna practice?" Jehuty asked.

"There's no use in wondering. We're never gonna get in a war or anything anyway."

"Well you can never be too sure."

"Yeah, whatever."

"What's wrong? Why are you so depressed? You're never like this!"

"It's just... it's... nothing."

"Hey, if you bottle up you're feelings like that, your head's gonna explode!"

_'Jehuty...'_ Daleck thought to himself. _'Always the immature one.'_

"So what weapon does Maranda specialize in?"

"Gun."

"Oooh, deadly!" Daleck was silent. Jehuty did not know what to say to him. "So you goin' to the museum tomorrow?"

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"The museum is always interesting. You get a lot of information about the background of Alexandria. Did you know that the last king, King Steiner, was once the Lord of the Knights of Pluto?"

Daleck turned his head to Jehuty and responded "I did not know that. Thank you for informing me."

"Quit it with the sarcasm. You have no appreciation for history. All you care about is fightin'." The care came to a stop. "This is your stop." Daleck opened the car door and stepped out. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah..." Daleck said as he walked towards his house. The car took off. 'What's so important about history?' Daleck thought to himself. And with that, he slammed the front door of his house behind him.

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To Be Continued...


	2. 

****

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

Chapter 2

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! SLAM!"

Daleck had threw his alarm clock against the wall as the 5:30 siren sounded. He looked at the mess of shattered plastic and batteries lying on the floor with sleepy eyes.

"Mom!... I need a new alarm clock!"

"Again?" A voice sounded from outside of his room. He slowly stood up, when he realized that he had been sleeping on his desk.

"What the..."

He looked around, confused as to what he had been doing the night before that would make him fall asleep on his desk. He noticed a paper with a few sentences written on it. He picked it up and began to read it over.

"Oh shit! My English term paper!" Downstairs his mother was preparing his breakfast, when he said to her, "Sorry mom, gotta go, talk later! Bye!"

"Wait! You didn't..." SLAM! He was out the door. She stood for a minute. "I don't know why I bother."

Daleck began to walk to school, trying to finish, or start for that matter, his term paper at the same time. He stopped by the Alexandria river, as he does many times, to finish writing it.

"Daleck? What are you doing!?" Maranda ran towards him. Just what he needed now, a distraction. She approached him and looked over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"

"Not now Maranda... I forgot to do my term paper."

"Forgot? If I know you, you probably slept in the middle of writing it." He looked up at her, then looked back at his paper and hurriedly scribbled words onto the paper. "Well hurry it up, you don't want to be late for the bus to the museum."

__

'Museum museum! Can't anyone talk about anything besides the museum!?'

She walked off into the distance, and picked up a stone.

"Catch!" she threw it at him. He turned to see what she was throwing, as the rock hit him in the face.

"Ow! What are you-..." the rock had bounced off his face and landed next to him. He looked at it, as it sparkled with the reflection of the sun. "Is this... a crystal?" He put the rock in his pocket and continued to write. "Gotta get this paper done..." He continued to scribble, then looked at his watch. It read 6:11. "_6:11!?_ I gotta get going!" He stood up and ran towards the school.

As he approached the school he heard the bell sound in the distance.

"I'm late...!"

He proceeded towards the school as he ran faster and faster, scribbling the last words of his term paper down. A hand on his shoulder stopped him with a jerk.

"You're LATE." He looked up. It was the principle.

"Oh... principle Wallace... nice seeing you here..."

"What's that you got in your hand?"  
"My... hand?" He looked at his hand to realize that he was still holding his term paper. He snatched it from his hand. He started to read it, then turned his eyes toward Daleck.

"Is this important?"

"Um... kinda..." he reached his hand out to get the paper back, but Wallace would not give it to him.

"Let me tell you something."

__

'Oh God... here comes a lecture.'

"You are a senior. You have trained as a fighter, and as a scholar. You're every move will decide your future. And right now, you're not headed in the right direction."

"Um..." Daleck started, "I'm sorry, but I've got to go to the museum today, and I really don't want to miss the..." he looked out the window to see his bus depart from the school. "...Bus..." Daleck dropped his head and sighed.

"It looks like you'll have go there on you're own time. Come to my office."

They both walked down the hall and into his office, where Daleck would spend the rest of the school day.

__

'What a lousy day!'

Daleck started walking home as school ended that day. As he walked down the street, the bus from the museum passed him. He looked at the bus, and saw Maranda in one of the windows, staring back at him, with a frown on her face. She turned her head to the front, trying to ignore him as the bus passed. Daleck put his focus back on the road again, and proceeded to walk. He came to an intersection, and instead of going home, he decided to take a detour.

"ALEXANDRIA MUSEUM"

That's what the sign read. Daleck stepped up to the museum and entered it. He would do the research on his own. As he walked down the corridors, he got a chance to admire the last queens of Alexandria. There was the unsightly queen with a pale face and round eyes, but who always seemed to have a smile on her face. Next was a younger queen, possibly her daughter, with dark hair and an innocent face. She had a frown. And last was the queen with the patch over her eye... the last queen of Alexandria. Daleck looked into her face... it was a face of indifference. Daleck wondered what she could be thinking. Did she know what the future would hold for her? That some... unknown force would cause destruction upon Alexandria? Of course not... It's amazing that no one knew how it was destroyed, but Daleck tried not to lose track.

"I gotta find an ancient artifact to do a report on..." He continued to walk down the hall. Something caught his eye. It was a sparkle. He looked to his right to find a small exhibit. Inside a glass case, a pendant sat. Daleck looked at the description. 

__

"The Pendant of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th." 

"Queen Garnet..." he continued to examine the pendant when something struck him as odd. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rock. It was the rock Maranda threw at him. Surprisingly... it looked exactly the same as the pendant in the case... and was the same shape. He looked at the fine print in the description.

"This pendant was rumored to contain an 'eidolon,' although it is unsure what an eidolon is and whether this fact is true."

"Eidolon? Heh... this is going to be a great research project."

__

To Be Continued...


	3. 

****

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

Chapter 2

Daleck spent hours at the museum finishing his research project. He heard an announcement on a nearby intercom.

"The museum will be closing in ten minutes. I repeat, the museum will be closing in ten minutes."

"Shit." Daleck scrambled to finish the rest of his research on the infamous pendant. But he could not find too much information on it. Just then a man walked over to him.

"Researching that pendant, eh?"

"Yeah," Daleck said, hiding the rock Maranda gave to him in his other hand. He looked over at Daleck and began to speak.

"That's one of my proudest achievements."

Daleck looked up to him.

"What?"

"That pendant. I'm the one who found it at the bottom of the Alexandria river." Daleck looked back at the pendant, in amazement. "It's the newest addition to the museum, so there isn't much information we can provide you with. But what I find very odd is the strange shape of it. It's almost as if a piece of it is missing." He reached his hand out to Daleck. "The name's Jared." Daleck shook hands with him. 

"Uh, hi, Jared."

"So what class is this for?"

"It's for a history class."

They were both silent as Daleck scribbled the last few words onto a paper. 

"Hey, listen, Daleck. The place is closing soon, need a ride?"

Daleck once again looked up at Jared's face.

"Uh, that's ok, I..."

"Hey, I can't let you walk home in the middle of the night."

Daleck thought about it, then accepted his offer.

On the ride home, Jared wanted to fill in the awkward silence.

"So, do you have enough information there?"

"I don't think so. But I got a few pictures of it... so at least I'll have SOME proof that I tried to do the assignment."

"Well, like I said, not much information is known about it, but I probably know more about it than anyone else." Daleck didn't say anything. "It is believed that that pendant was owned by the late Queen Garnet. It was a gift to her by a friend. It's said that there is a secret Eidolon inside that pendant. But no one knows how to summon Eidolons, or what they do."

__

"Well I knew that much."

"But it is also believed that summoning Eidolons is a gift, not something learned, like black, white or blue magic." Daleck looked over to him as he steered the vehicle, than jotted down the information on a paper. "I personally believe that that very pendant could've possibly caused the destruction of Alexandria... and Steiner and Beatrix for that matter. They were the royal family at the time. I am determined to discover what caused their downfall."

"Yeah... it's a mystery..." He pulled up next to his house. 

"Listen, I know a lot about the artifacts of the museum. And although you don't display it, I know that deep inside you have an interest in learning about them. Drop by any time and I'll be glad to help you."

"Thanks, but I think I've had enough of the museum for now." He jumped out of the door. "Thanks for the ride." He slammed the door and ran up to his house.  
"He'll be back."

Daleck ran to his room to observe the pictures that he took of the pendant.

"Queen Garnet's pendant." He stared at it. "She must've been a beautiful woman." He opened an encyclopedia and looked for her name. "Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th. Daughter of Queen Brahne, came to the throne after her death." There was a picture of her next to her name. _"She looks so innocent."_ She sat in an elegant chair in a white gown. She had a crown on her head, atop of her dark brown hair. She showed signs of a slight frown on her face, as she was holding a bouquet of flowers. Around her neck was the pendant. "That was her pendant!" He stared at it. "But... it looks different." He held the picture he took next to her picture. From what he saw, the picture of the pendant that he took was only half of what she was wearing. Then he remembered the rock that Maranda threw to him. He reached into his pocket and grabbed it. He held it up to the picture. The jagged lines on the edge of the rock fit perfectly with the edges of the pendant... like a puzzle. He stared at his rock. 

"I...I have the other half!"

He was not aware of the power that was bestowed upon him.

__

To Be Continued...


	4. CHAPTER 4

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES ****

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

Chapter 4

"So... didja get your project finished?" Maranda ran towards him before school started the following day. Daleck was sitting on a stone wall, just yards away from the school.

"Well, most of it." Daleck pulled out the recently developed photos he took of the pendant at the museum, and held it up at the rock Maranda threw to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Come here, Maranda. There's something that I want to show you." She quickly walked to the place where he sat and looked at his rock.

"Ooh, that's a pretty stone."

"Do you recognize it?" 

She stared at it in bewilderment, then with a quick grin on her face, she replied, "Isn't that the rock that I threw at you!? That hit you right in the forehead! Ahahaha!"

"Well, besides that! Look closer..." She moved her head closer to the rock.

"Wow... it looks like a crystal..."

"Not just any crystal." He pulled out the picture of the half pendant he took in the museum and held it next to the rock. Maranda gasped.

"It's like a puzzle!"

"Do you know what this means? I have half of Princess Garnet's legendary pendant!"

"That's awesome Daleck! So what are you gonna do with it?"

"I don't know... I'll probably use it in my project... then after school, I'm gonna head to the museum for more info."

"Well be careful with that, Daleck. You know all the stories about Eidolons and whatnot. Don't cause any trouble. In the meantime, I'm gonna head over to the school, don't wanna be late!" And with that, she ran off. Daleck gathered his things and headed for the school.

"Hey, Daleck!" As he walked, he heard another voice. It was Jehuty... again. He drove up to him in his car.

"Hop in, you're gonna be late!"

"It's another ten feet, I think I can make it."

"Well hurry it up! Today's the big day!" He drove off. 

That's right... he totally forgot. All his military training would finally pay off today, or so he hoped. If he passed, he would finally get his weapon, and he would serve in the Alexandria army along with Maranda and Jehuty. It's what he always dreamed of. But that's if he passed. This project is sink or swim in regards to his future.

"Daleck, it is now your turn to present." 

__

Crap.

"And don't forget," the teacher whispered to him, "this counts toward your future."

He walked up to the front of the class. He placed his things down on a podium, and stared to the students. He then looked over to the teacher, who had a stern look on his face. He opened his mouth to begin to speak, when something caught his eye in the window. The skies turned red, and lightning was striking everywhere. The entire classroom had a red tint to it, but when he looked over to all of the students, no one noticed anything. Daleck whipped his head towards the window again, as his eyes grew wider. Buildings were now on fire.

"Is something the matter?" His teacher asked. He looked over to him, and noticed that he was becoming very impatient. Daleck looked back once again to the chaos outside. Then, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.

"And I love you, Zidane. But... call me... Dagger."

Zidane smiled, then he and Garnet held hands and walked down the Alexandria river together. The sun slowly set in the distance. Their new life began together that day.

In time, Steiner became king and Beatrix became queen. Dagger finally fulfilled her only wish, to be free, as she joined Zidane in Tantalus.

"Hey, now you be a good girl, and don't get into any trouble," Beatrix said, looking down on Dagger.

"Don't worry about me. If I helped save the world once, I'm sure that I'll be fine here with Zidane." They both chuckled. 

Steiner walked up to her. "Don't forget your mother's legacy, even if you're not continuing with it."

"I won't, Steiner. And don't forget to continue my legacy!"

"I will. You can be sure of that."

Daggers eyes began to get all watery. Then she jumped into Steiner's arms and gave him a hug. Startled at first, Steiner's look of bewilderment quickly turned into a smile as he patter her hair with his enormous hand. He put her back on the ground, and with that, she waved goodbye and walked toward the Prima Vista theater ship.

"Bye Steiner! I'll be back!"

"We'll be waiting!" He exclaimed.

She walked inside the ship and out to the deck. She got one last look at Steiner and Beatrix before the ship took off. She yelled to the couple, "Take care while I'm gone!"

"We will!" Beatrix yelled back.

And with that, the ship took off. Dagger stared at them until they were no longer in site. But she still stared at the castle. Zidane walked over to her and stared at the castle with her, then put his hand on her shoulder. 

The vision then turned black.

Daleck's eyes opened as he noticed that he was in a small chamber. He looked around. Dresser to his right, closet to his left, window behind him... He noticed that he was sitting on a bed. Daleck stood up to realize that... he was in an army uniform.

"I'm... I'm in the Alexandria military?"

He looked out the window to see teenagers with the same uniforms walking around, socializing. He knew this to be true, now...

__

But how?... 


	5. CHAPTER 5

**FORGOTTEN MEMORIES**

Chapter 5

"Come on! You're gonna be late for our first mission!" Jehuty stood in the door frame of Daleck's room at the Alexandria military building. Daleck turned his eyes from the window to Jehuty, who was also in uniform. He stared at him with wide eyes. "What?... What are you looking at me for?" Daleck scanned his eyes over Jehuty's outfit. "Come on! Quit it! We gotta go to the ship! It's departing the shore soon..." Daleck focused on his own outfit, as he had the same uniform as Jehuty. "Well I'm not waiting for you. I'll be at the boat, and you'd better get your butt over there. See ya." And he ran off.

Just then, the phone rang. Daleck picked it up, hesitantly. "H-hello?"

"Go to the museum." Daleck sat in silence, still holding the phone in his hand.

"The... museum?"

"Yes. Go! Now!" The man on the other end hung up. Daleck, confused, thought nothing of it, and hung up the phone.

"What happened? Why am I here?" He slowly walked around the room. There was his diploma for graduating,... there was a picture of his parents on the dresser... there was a picture of Maranda... Maranda? "Hm... looks like I finally made the first move with her." He smiled, and exited his room.

Daleck walked around the halls of this strange place, a place that he had only seen in pictures before. "Am I... in an alternate dimension?" He continued to walk, but had no idea where he was going. He stopped a girl to ask for directions to his ship. "Excuse me." He tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Could you..." When the girl turned around, he realized it was Maranda.

"Oh, hi Daleck!" She gave him a big hug... this was a first. "So we're all going on this mission together! Me, you, and Jehuty. You know, it's still hard to believe you made it this far."

"_Yeah, I wonder how I did it..."_

"But the important thing is that you're here, and now you can show off you're awesome fighting skills!"

"Yeah..."

"Let's go! Don't wanna be late!" She grabbed his hand and began to run. They ran for what seemed like hours... through the never ending halls, various rooms on the left and right, elevators, people scattered everywhere talking to one another... They finally reached a set of double doors. When Maranda put her hands on it to open them, a bright light escaped and nearly blinded Daleck. He was now outside. He looked around to find the Alexandria river, complete with ships by the docks.

"Let's see..." Maranda said as she walked around the outdoors, still grasping Daleck's hand. "Here's the one!" She pointed to a relatively small boat and dragged him to the door. When they entered, they were greeted by Jehuty.

"Finally made it! I was worried for a second... I guess I know what it takes to get Daleck to do anything, eh?" He said as he winked at Maranda and nudged her with his shoulder.

"Shut up, Jehuty. At least he has a girlfriend!"

_Girlfriend_... How he longed to hear those words from her...

Another person entered the boat. It was a woman. She was tall, and had short, blonde hair. 

"Listen up," the woman started, "My name is Karen Whit. You may call me Instructor Whit. This mission is to test you're skills. I'll be you're instructor, and you will do as I tell you. If you pass this test, you will enter the Alexandria military, and will be dispersed all over the world."

_"So this is just a test... what a bummer."_

"First things first. Take anything out of your pockets, anything you are wearing, anything unnecessary. I don't want any of you carrying extra weight."

As Maranda and Jehuty reached inside their pockets, so did Daleck. He pulled out some scrap paper, a mint (a mint?), and then he felt something sharp. He pulled out the half pendant Maranda gave to him a while back. He obeyed the instructor and placed it on the ground, but he buried it beneath his other things so that no one would see it.

"Each of you will be assigned a weapon. The weapon you receive will be the one you specialize in." She leaded them into another room, where she gave each person a weapon. Maranda had a katana. Small, light, but easy to handle. Karen then walked over to Jehuty and handed him a broad sword. Very large, probably the heaviest of all swords, but very powerful. Then she walked over to Daleck. "I understand you like to use your fists?" 

Daleck didn't comprehend... "Well, yes, that's one way I fight."

"Well here in the Alexandria military, we like to test all aspects of one's fighting abilities." She handed him a pair of gloves... they had brass knuckles on them. Daleck stared at the gloves, then looked back at Karen.

"Wait, If I'm being tested, why can't I use what I'm most comfortable with?"

"Why don't you have a little faith? Just try it. You may be surprised at what you can do." She turned and began to walk away. But, then she faced Daleck again and said, "Just think of it as... research." _Research? _ "After all, citizens pay good money for our research." She walked away. Daleck held the gloves in his hand. He put them on.

"Hmm... very comfortable." He saw a punching bag in the corner of his eye. A grin spread upon his face as he walked over to it. He held his fist up, and punched it with all his might. SNAP! He punched it so hard the rope broke and the punching bag went flying to the other side of the room, and crashed on the ground. "Hmmmm... these gloves work nice." He left the room.

Daleck went to the deck of the boat, where the wind hit his face. They were now in the ocean.

Instructor Whit began to talk once again, as Maranda and Jehuty stood close by.

"Your test will begin soon." The boat came to a sudden halt. "You will be faced with a demon of the water, and all three of you will cooperate in order to succeed. This test is very real, so I want you all to take it very seriously. Get in your battle positions!" Maranda held her katana with both hands, vertically, in front of her face. Jehuty held his broad sword, one hand on the handle, the other on the tip, horizontally, across his face. Daleck warmed up his hands.

_"C'mon... I gotta do this... this is what I always dreamed of..."_

The boat then began to shake. Daleck almost lost his balance when all of a sudden, the water seemed to raise in front of the boat. Then, a serpent-like creature emerged from the ocean. It was the legendary beast, Leviathan.

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To Be Continued...


	6. CHAPTER 6

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES ****

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

Chapter 6

"Me catch frogs! Me catch frogs!" Quina was hopping around the Alexandria river, looking for something tasty, as usual. "Nope, no frog here." S/he scurried down the river, hoping to find his/her favorite dish. "Frog?" S/he leaped into the water, making a gigantic splash. "Nope, no frog here. Me think there no frogs in Alexandria river. Me want to go home." S/he started walking along the shore in despair, when something caught his/her eye. "Frog!" S/he ran after it, as it hopped away as fast as it could. Quina leaped as far as s/he could and stretched his/her hands out. "I got you now frog!" Quina landed as a cloud of sand rose above him/her. "Frog taste funny. Frog very hard." As the smoke cleared Quina took the object out of his/her mouth to realize it wasn't a frog at all.

"I-is that Princess Garnet's pendant?"

Quina was now standing before King Steiner and Queen Beatrix.

"Me found on Alexandria shore. Can I eat it?"

"Let me look at that," Beatrix commanded Quina. Quina hesitantly handed Beatrix the pendant. "This is most definitely the Princess' pendant. But why would it be in the river?"

"This is the pendant that holds the Knights of the Round... it's best we put it in a safe place," Steiner added.

Beatrix held the pendant up to her eyes in amazement.

"This little pendant... is what causes so much destruction?" Her eyes seemed to melt as she stared deeper and deeper into the pendant. She could see the pressure and fury built up inside the pendant. "We must do something with it." Steiner grabbed the pendant from her hands, stood up, and walked out of the royal chamber. "Where are you going?" Beatrix asked.

"I'll keep it in Princess Garnet's room for now. As long as Kuja's gone, we have nothing to worry about."

"Even though Kuja no longer exists, there is still the threat that Knight's of the Round could eventually escape and-..."

"Not if no one knows about it. Besides, who besides Eiko knows how to summon Eidolons?"

Beatrix turned her head to the side as her eyes focused on the floor. Steiner turned his back and walked out of the room. Quina, perplexed, bowed his/her head and scurried out of the room. 

"Me still hungry."

Quina now had nowhere to go, and had no frogs to eat. As s/he paced around Alexandria castle s/he longed for something tasty. As s/he passed one room a glimmer caught his/her eye. Quina poked her head through the door.

"Shiny thing... Quina like shiny things! Shiny things taste best!" Quina hopped into the room towards the glimmering object. It was Princess Garnet's pendant. "But Steiner say shiny thing very important... may cause destruction of town..." The pendant shined in his/her eyes. "Just one taste." Quina opened his/her gigantic mouth as she dropped the pendant inside, and slammed his/her mouth shut.

__

CRACK!

"Pendant too hard. Tastes bad too." S/he stuck his/her hands in his/her mouth and took out the pendant, only to find out that it had broken in two. "Uh-oh... this bad." Quina dropped the pieces on the floor. "Me leave now." And with that, Quina ran out of the room, and the castle. What Quina didn't know, was that by breaking the pendant in two, s/he unleashed all the pressure and fury that was built up inside of the pendant.

S/he unleashed Knight's of the Round.

"Great presentation, Daleck!"

Daleck focused his eyes on the classroom, as they all applauded for him. He was bewildered as to what they were clapping at. He looked down to see a half pendant, and a picture of the other half.

"_Was everything... a dream?"_

Daleck had realized that he already presented his project, and apparently the class and professor liked it. The bell had then rung, and the class proceeded through the doorway. His professor walked up to him.

"Fantastic job, Daleck. Who knows how you managed to retrieve part of the legendary pendant, but great presentation, nevertheless. Maybe you'll amount to something after all."

Daleck looked to his professor.

"Does this mean... I graduate?"

"I think so..."

A wide grin spread upon Daleck's face as he grabbed his things and ran for the door.

"One more thing, Daleck!" He turned to his professor, holding his items close to his body. "I wouldn't keep that stone for very long. Who knows what power it may unleash." Daleck looked at the half pendant, then looked back up. He nodded his head and ran out the door.

Graduation came and went, and Daleck would soon be off to the Alexandria military. As he was packing his things in a suitcase, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. It was Maranda.

"Hi Maranda, come on in."

She walked into his room shyly, and looked around. She then looked at Daleck, who was packing his things at a very fast pace.

"Getting ready for the military?" Maranda asked.

"Yup. And I'm guessing you already did?"

"Yeah... I'm leaving tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you there."

"Well, me, you and Jehuty are the only three people from our school going to the Alexandria military. I have a feeling we may see each other," he said in a sarcastic tone. He continued to pack, but didn't realize until a minute later that she was staring at him. "Do you want something?"

"Um..." he could tell she was very nervous. She approached him, and looked at her hands, as she continued to speak. "Me and you... we do everything together..." He looked at her with curious eyes. "Do you think that... Do you think that we could be more than just... friends?"

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More than friends? What does she mean? I like being friends. Does she want to be my...

"...Girlfriend?" She nodded her head . _Girlfriend... I like the sound of that. _"Sure." She let a huge grin take over her face as she ran to him and hugged him as hard as she could.

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This is what I always wanted.

"I gotta tell Jehuty the good news!" she squeaked.

"Jehuty? Why him?"

"Well he's the one that suggested it in the first place!" And she ran off.

Daleck was confused, but he continued to pack anyway. As he did so, he realized that he still had that shining stone... even after his professor told him to dispose of it. He grabbed it and stuffed it in his suitcase, and then shut it.

By the time the next morning came, Daleck was on his way to the Alexandria military. Upon arrival he brought his things into his room, and was told to change into uniform, for he would soon be going on his first mission. He dressed, then unpacked his suitcase. As he came upon the half pendant he stuck in there before, he placed it in his pocket. Once all was done, Daleck let out a big sigh of relief, and sat on his bed by the window.

"I'm finally here." He looked around his room. Dresser to his right, closet to his left, window behind him... He stood up and walked to the window to see what kind of view he had. He stared outside as he watched many teenagers in the same uniform walk by, socializing, having a good time.

"..."

Something seemed strange.

He heard someone approach his door and begin to talk. 

"Come on! You're gonna be late for our first mission!" Jehuty stood in the door frame of Daleck's room. Daleck turned his eyes from the window to Jehuty, who was also in uniform. He stared at him with wide eyes. Daleck then realized that what he had experienced before was not another dimension... rather a viewing of the future.

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"I'm... reliving this moment..."

To Be Continued...


	7. CHAPTER 7

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES ****

FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

Chapter 7

"Come on! Quit it! We gotta go to the ship! It's departing the shore soon..." Daleck focused on his own outfit, as he had the same uniform as Jehuty. 

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What's going on?

"Well I'm not waiting for you. I'll be at the boat, and you'd better get your butt over there."

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Have I gone back in time?

"See ya." And with that, Jehuty ran off.

Just then, the phone rang. Daleck picked it up, hesitantly. "H-hello?"

"Go to the museum." Daleck sat in silence, still holding the phone in his hand.

"The museum..."

"Yes, go now!" And he heard a click. Daleck slowly hooked the phone onto the receiver.

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Maybe I should go to the museum this time... maybe it holds a clue as to what's going on.

At the museum, Jehuty slowly walked up to the doors. He noticed a sign close by indicating that it was closed for the day. But still, he placed his hand on the handle and gave it a little tug. To his surprise, the door was unlocked. As he slowly opened the door it made a faint creaking sound. The light from the outdoors shined brightly in the darkened lobby of the museum. Daleck took a step in and shut the door from behind him.

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Why am I doing this? This is illegal! Who knows what I'll find here...

He decided he'd better hurry if he wanted to go on his first mission. Just then, he heard an anonymous footstep. He looked behind him, to his side, in front of him... no one. He continued to walk slowly, every footstep he made echoed in the immense lobby. He then heard glass shatter. Daleck ran towards the first room from the lobby to see what the commotion was about. He saw a figure dressed in black reach in and steal an object... an object that he'd seen before... It was the pendant piece.

"What are you doing!?" Daleck yelled. "You don't know what could happen if you..."

Just then alarms began setting off. The figure stuffed the pendant piece in a bag, and ran towards him.

"Hey! Let go of that!" He noticed the figure was running towards him. "What-!" Daleck shielded himself, however the person ran right past him. Trying to pick up any evidence of who this person could be, Daleck noticed a bracelet on the person's right wrist. It was a sort of intercom device... and it was sparkling blue... the figure turned around.

"Hey kid..." He was surprised that the criminal was talking to him, and... that it was a female. "Get out of here." Daleck looked around to notice that the alarms were still going off. "No, get out of Alexandria." The female took off. Daleck stood for a moment, dumbfounded. Little did she know that he had the last piece... however he would never want her to know, as it would have grave consequences. Daleck ran out of the museum, and to the Alexandria boat where he would begin his first mission. As he looked back he saw cops storming the museum.

Daleck felt faint, and his vision went white.

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Not again...

In a medieval day Alexandria, Dagger lived with Zidane and the Tantalus group aboard the Prima Vista. It was night time, as it always seems to be in Treno, and once again, they were performing the memorable play, "I Want To Be Your Canary." This time, for Treno. Cornelia ran onto the stage... her role was played by Garnet.

"Marcus? Sweet Marcus, I fear I love thee more than I should!"

A cloaked man approached her and responded "Wilt thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?"

"Prithee, call me 'princess' no more!"

Baku, offstage, was whispering to Zidane.

"That's a fine little actress you got there..."

"Dagger sure is something." Zidane replied.

"Does... does she miss the castle? At all?"

Zidane sighed. "I don't know. Sometimes I think she does... but I really don't know..."

What Zidane didn't know is that Dagger constantly worried about Steiner and Beatrix.

"Marcus, wilt thou truly cherish me, the king's only daughter?" _I wonder if Steiner is ok... if he can handle this... _"Or is such a desire to dear to wish for!?" _He sure is stubborn... I hope he's not making a mess of things... _"After our nuptials, shall I become no more than a puppet?" _What will happen if there's a crisis? Will Alexandria be ok? _"A mindless puppet, never to laugh, never to cry? I wish to live my life under the sky." _Beatrix will take care of him... I know she will... _"At times, I shall laugh, at other times cry." _But then again, Beatrix has had a brush with death... If that were to happen again, Steiner would not function... Alexandria would perish... _"For no life is more insincere than that lived as a masquerade." _Is my life a masquerade? Do I belong here?_

"So much consideration thou hast given it! But worry not! Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thou in a gown of pure love! Never again will I part from thee! Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep forever in the cage of thy bosom! Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow, before dawn can tell of our elopement!"

Dagger was staring at the ground, she had forgotten her lines. In fact, right now, performing was the last thing on her mind.

"Dagger..." Marcus, aka Blank whispered.

The sky then turned red, and lightning struck everywhere. Clouds were rolling by at the speed of light.

"N-no... NO!" Dagger yelled. This was all too familiar. Zidane ran over to her and embraced her.

"What is this?" Zidane questioned.

"It's Knights of the Round, Zidane..." Dagger sobbed. "Something's wrong at the castle!"

"Let's go!" Zidane and Dagger, along with the rest of Tantalus ran to the Prima Vista as the folk of Treno ran in circles, screaming.

The ship took off and headed for the castle. As they flew by, Dagger witnessed each Knight gallop towards the castle.

"Faster Zidane! Their heading for the castle!"

The ship shook as the barely swiped one of the 13 knights about to destroy Alexandria.

Back at the castle, a panicked Steiner was running around the castle.

"What's going on!? Who did this!"

Beatrix ran to him and slapped him across the face.

"Get a hold of yourself!" She calmed him down as the castle rumbled endlessly. "It's knight's of the round again. Someone obviously got a hold of the pendant."

"WHO!?" Steiner yelled. Beatrix slapped him again.

"We can't worry about that now! We gotta tell our soldiers to evacuate EVERYONE in Alexandria." Steiner stared at her for a moment. "GO!!"

Startled, Steiner ran around the castle, arms flailing, screaming "EVACUATE ALEXANDRIA! GO! SAVE THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN! SAVE THEM! GO! AAAAH!"

Beatrix sighed, then ran to the village to warn everyone.

In the village, soldiers were running around, carrying children and putting them on boats in the Alexandria river. Other townsfolk ran for the exit to get as far away from Alexandria as they could. Beatrix ran around, seeking anyone in need. The red sky reflected on their faces, making for an even more chaotic scene. She heard someone calling her name.

"Beatrix!" Steiner ran towards her. "Beatrix! We're doing the best we can. I told the soldiers to help evacuate. The cooks in the castle escaped, the children are being escorted, we should have enough boats..."

"STEINER!" He flinched when she raised her hand, but was relieved when he discovered it was to put them on his shoulder. "It's ok. We did all we could." People were still running around chaotically, when they all, as well as Steiner and Beatrix, noticed something towards the horizon. It was the Prima Vista ship. "Garnet! What is she doing here!" The ship slowly approached Alexandria. Yet the 13 Knights rapidly approached just next to it, as all eyes focused on that. It was a sight to behold, 13 Knights, each lined up one by one, some on horses, some flying, in a horizontal line, as they all flew in the crimson red night sky toward Alexandria. Closer... closer... closer... 

"Steiner..." Beatrix looked up at his face, as he looked down at hers. "Hold me." They embraced as they both stared at their impending doom. The ground began to rumble as buildings and houses collapsed. The Knights now hovered above Alexandria and circled. Their rotations began to get faster, as they generated a blue light in the center. A blue reflection was on everyone's face, as they watched in amazement.

"I love you, Beatrix."

She looked back at him.

"And I love you, Steiner." And they kissed. They kissed for an eternity... an eternity that would only last for a few short seconds, for as they professed their everlasting love for one another, a bright beam of light generated by the Knights of the Round slammed into the ground, as an explosion from beneath perished anything in site. Everything turned to dust... as the bright light destroyed Alexandria. 

"NOOOOOO!" A devastated Dagger watched the bright light set Alexandria on flames, as all that was left standing was part of the castle... and bones... However, the light from the Knights of the Round somehow made its way to the Prima Vista, as it rumbled, and crashed into the Alexandria shore. Somehow Dagger survived the wreckage as she clambered to her feet. "Zidane!" She ran to the room where he guided the ship, as she noticed his body covered in blood. His lifeless face seemed to stare at him. "Z-Zid-... Zidane..." she sobbed. She managed to find her way to the wreckage of Alexandria, still sobbing. The red skies remained, as did the Knights of the Round, still circling above. She was guided by a blue light glowing from the wreckage. She picked up the wreckage to find her pendant... broken in two. She picked up the pendant, and walked to the shore.

Garnet faced the demons that caused this and held the pieces of the pendant that caused this. She recited a "spell" that would store the Knights of the Round in each piece of the pendant. They were the words that she remembered long ago from her childhood mentor, Dr. Tot. Dagger cried out, "O Knights of which cause annihilation, cause sorrow no more and return to each station!" A light beamed from each stone, as the spirit of the Knights were sucked into them. When the beams disappeared, so did the red sky, which uncovered the horror before Dagger's eyes. The castle was in ruins. Everyone she ever knew had perished in that disaster. She took each piece of the pendant, and threw them back into the river on opposite ends. Dagger went back to the Prima Vista to say goodbye to Zidane.

She walked up to him, and noticed that broken glass was embedded deep in his skin, thus causing his death. Dagger touched his forehead, and kissed him on the cheek. She shut his eyes, as hers filled with tears. She then grabbed the dagger in his sheath, and stood next to Zidane. She held the dagger with both hands. Dagger then looked down at Zidane, peacefully resting. She looked back up straight in front of her, and held the dagger horizontally in front of her abdomen. A frown spread across her face as tears streamed down. And then came the thrust. Her jaw dropped as the knife hit her skin and buried itself deep within her body. She closed her eyes, fell to her knees, then her head hit the ground. As she opened her eyes, she looked at Zidane's face. She crawled a bit closer to him, and put her arm around him. His face was the last thing she saw before her vision went white.

Dagger's soul escaped her body, and joined her loved ones. A soft wind blew through the shattered windows of the Prima Vista, gently moving the hair of Dagger and Zidane, as they lay side by side.

Thus, was the destruction of Alexandria, and the beginning of a new era.

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To Be Continued...


End file.
